Allentown Man, 33, To Challenge Alaska's Mt. Mckinley In April

The 33-year-old pilot by profession has been mountain climbing since he was 15, and on April 20, hewill begin a one-month expedition to climb the highest peak in North America, Mount McKinley in Alaska.

"Next year I'll probably go to the Andes, who knows, maybe Mount Everest," he said yesterday.

Of his Alaskan adventure, Roth said he will be hiring on with Genet Expeditions of Anchorage for the monthlong climb of the 20,320-foot-high peak in the Alaskan Range. "It's cold, sometimes 40 below at night, and windy," he said. "Every year about 100 people climb it."

To get on the expedition, Roth said he had to submit a detailed resume of his experience, since a high level of expertise is required. Between altitude sickness, falls into crevices and the like, 40 or 50 people have been killed on the mountain, he noted.

To get in shape for the climb, Roth said he now runs four times a week, in addition to aerobic conditioning. "You have to run for a solid hour without stress or strain to be in shape. Because it is such a high mountain, altitude sickness is a real possibility for those who are not prepared," he said. "The packs we carry will be 40 to 70 pounds, so that will take a lot right there."

Roth said that last summer he climbed the two highest peaks in Europe, Mont Blanc in the Alps and the Matterhorn. "While I was developing experience in this country, I climbed the highest in the Rockies, Sierras, Olympics and Cascades. I climbed Mount St. Helen's the summer before it blew up - it was quite a bit higher then," he quipped.

Just why did Roth, a co-pilot on a Lear jet for Northeast Jet Co., Allentown, take up mountain climbing?

"In a nutshell, high mountains are the most beautiful places on earth. I've never seen more beautiful scenery, unsurpassed beauty - the blues are so blue, the whites so white; it's all so stellar, so spectacular," he said.